wrestling / TV Reports
Cook’s WWE NXT Review 5.26.26
Image Credit: WWE
Loading...Hey kids! Steve Cook here with you for the latest episode of WWE NXT on the CW! We’ve got a loaded card tonight highlighted by a Women’s Championship match between Lola Vice & Izzi Dame. I will be rooting for Lola, no offense to Izzi but I root for Lola in any match she has. I always like to put my biases out there so people know where I’m coming from. My biases don’t involve tanking the economy, starting endless wars or depriving certain people of their freedoms, so I don’t feel too bad about putting them out there. I’m an open book.
If you already subscribe to the 411MANIA Wrestling Newsletter, earlier today you received some of my thoughts on AEW’s big weekend in New York, FTR’s future & Logan Paul’s triceps injury. If you don’t already subscribe, do so right now! Yes, before we get to the show because if you’re like me you won’t remember to do this a minute from now.
Cook’s WWE NXT Review 5.26.26
Then. Now. Forever. Together!
We’re in Orlando! Vic joseph & Booker T are our hosts. Lola Vice is WALKING! Izzi Dame is POSING WITH THE CULLING! DarkState is WALKING!
Wren Sinclair (w/Kendall Grey) vs. Kelani Jordan: Wren’s knee is heavily taped heading into this match but she’s cleared. Kelaini attacks right when she gets into the ring. Wren seems ok so the referee rings the bell. Wren sends Kelani outside, Kelani fights back, Wren hits a suplex. Kelani hits a Northen lariat and beats Wren down. Wren fights back, goes to an armbar. Kick to Kelani, back to the armbar. Kelani with a kick, sends Wren into the bottom turnbuckle. Wren fights back, kicks Kelani, some reversals lead to Wren hitting a back body drop on the floor as we go to Non-Stop NXT!
Wren works Kelani over in the ring. Ab stretch into a rollup gets two. They fight over an abdominal stretch. Wren gets her knee kicked out on the ropes. Kelani works it over as she should. Kelani sends Wren into the turnbuckle and keeps stretching the knee as we go back to full-screen. She works the submission as Wren cries out in agony and works towards the ropes. Wren finds the ropes. Kelani runs into an elbow, but she stretches Wren’s knee on the ropes. Kelani with a clothesline off the ropes, then a suplex. Wren backdrops Kelani. Some strikes from Wren. Butterfly then a gutwrench suplex from Wren. Kelani lands a blow, but Wren avoids the split legged moonsault. Kelani tries a STF, then a modified Haas of Pain! Wren taps out!
Winner: Kelani Jordan (11:22 via submission)
Match Rating: **1/2
Tatum Paxley & Lizzy Pain talk about their issue from last week, then Shiloh Hill comes in to further his agenda. Tristian Angels is not impressed with the list of names on Shiloh’s petition, and he hopes Dempsey stretches some sense into him.
We go back to last week when DarkState lost the Tag Team Championship match.
DarkState comes down to the ring, minus Shaquon Shugars. Osiris Griffin runs down all of their athletic accomplishments, and notes that Shugars was just an indy wrestler. They all had athletic credentials, he didn’t. Cutler James says that success for the group was success for all, and Shugars lost sight of that. He failed! Dion Lennox says it could have been him, but he understood eliminating the weak link. Dion talks about how people chose him to be part of big matches. When the lights go out, you better keep your head on a swivel. DarkState is back! If you thought nobody was safe before you haven’t seen a damn thing yet.
Wren is getting checked on with Kendall, Lola comes by and Kali Armstrong takes the opportunity to make a challenge towards everyone. Not a terrible idea for Kali.
Men’s Speed Tournament Match: Sean Legacy vs. Dorian Van Dux: Legacy trips DVD, sends him outside but gets dropped on a dive. Slingshot legdrop by DVD gets two. Legacy with a rana, sliced bread gets two. DVD with a clothesline, then a powerbomb gets two. Legacy with a DDT, kick to DVD, Legacy flips and runs into a kick, he ranas DVD off the top rope. DVD flies into a kick. DVD up top, Legacy joins him and suplexes him off the top, but the 3 minute time limit has expired.
Winner: Nobody (3:00 via time limit draw)
Yeah, I’m probably the wrong reviewer to talk about how awesome three minute time limit matches are. Not my bag, I’m all about letting things breathe and this is the opposite.
Nattie & Layla Diggs talk about how Jaida Parker shows no respect.
Jaida Parker vs. Layla Diggs (w/Nattie): The NXT live audience is all about Ms. Parker. I am all about Ms. Diggs. All I’ll say about that. Diggs takes Parker down with a leg rollup for two. Clothesline from Parker. Diggs avoids Parker, hits a sidekick, a legdrop & elbow get two. Strike exchange, Parker with some clotheslines, a front suplex, sends Diggs into the turnbuckle, smashes her down to the mat. Backflip into a clothesline from Diggs gets two. Moonsault misses, Parker hits a Baldo Bomb for three.
Winner: Jaida Parker (3:58 via pinfall)
Match Rating: **
Not a terrible debut for Ms. Diggs on NXT. Jaida wins here to keep building the feud with Nattie. I’m not sure what’s worse for Maxxine Dupri on Raw between a never-ending Nattie feud and getting hooked up with the Vision so she can get hurt in a month or two. All I can hope is that Ms. Diggs comes through unscathed.
The BirthRight is backstage to talk to Blake Howard. Lexis King talks about casualties on the road and claims he’s the fastest man alive. Fraxiom come in to interject and drop some World Cup predictions.
Tony D’Angelo will be here next!
After a commercial break, Tony comes out to address the young, hungry faces that have come out to take a shot at the champ. Next week, he’ll go one on one with Kam Hendrix. We can decide about his potential, but he will not be the NXT Champion next week. Tony calls out Naraku, and Naraku’s music hits. The evil man makes his way to the ring. Tony’s a straight shooter, he wants Naraku to say he wants a shot at the championship. Naraku says he’s here to keep Tony & his title safe. Tony doesn’t buy it. Kam Hendrix comes out to tell Tony he’s got 7 days left cause it’s lights Kam action for the NXT Championship. Tony’s running into a buzzsaw next week, Kam is the fastest rising NXT superstar in history. Tony puts him over and says while Kam looks at the title as a status symbol, he looks at it as everything. Kam hasn’t earned a single thing in NXT, he won a match, he’ll have to rip Tony’s heart out. Naraku drives Kam out of the ring with a clothesline over the top rope.
Myles Borne & Tavion Heights talk about what happened last week, Myles tries to calm Tavion down. DarkState attacks them both and leave them laying. Well it’s about time I saw them do something useful.
The Vanity Project walk backstage until being interrupted by Tate Wilder. Jackson Drake tells Tate he has a lot to learn, which leads to a match being set for next week. I can dig that.
Men’s Speed Tournament Match: Nathan Frazer (w/Axiom) vs. Romeo Moreno (w/Noam Dar): Apparently this is the final now, which makes this not much of a tournament to be honest. Frazer with a kick off the ropes, then a dive onto Moreno on the floor. Back in the ring, Moreno with a kick and another kick for two, Rollthrough by Frazer gets two. Reverse Spanish Fly gets two for Frazer. Moreno with a roll up for two, dives into a kick for two. Moreno hits a German suplex off the turnbuckle, Frazer answers with a neckbreaker. Moreno hits a dive on the floor, back in the ring. Frazer with a superplex, but Moreno responds with a small package for the three count!
Winner: Romeo Moreno (2:58 via pinfall)
I still don’t love the Speed format, but at least this led to a result of some sort. Maybe it’ll win me over eventually.
They shake hands afterwards & Dar & Axiom clap. The BirthRight look on and it’ll be Lexis vs. Romeo next week!
Izzi Dame notes to Niko Vance that she hasn’t seen Shawn Spears all day. He hasn’t either.
Mason Rook tells Robert Stone that he deserves the title shot instead of Kam Hendrix. Maybe he’ll do something next week. Naraku interjects and says he won’t do anything about it.
OTM (Bronco Nima & Lucien Price) vs. The Culling (Shawn Spears & Niko Vance): Shawn Spears attacks OTM with a chair before the match can start. OK then.
Sarah Schrieber talks to Kali Armstrong, who thinks she can go after all the titles.
Shiloh Hill asks Zaria to sign his petition, she’s not interested. Shiloh tells her to be worried about Lizzy Rain, who ends up attacking her from behind. The man can see the future, apparently.
Shiloh Hill vs. Charlie Dempsey (w/BirthRight): Dempsey tries to work some holds and gets slammed. Hill with a shoulderblock. Dempsey goes to the arm, gets backdropped. Hill up top, hits a clothesline, then clotheslines Dempsey over the top as we go to Non-Stop NXT.
Dempsey works a headscissors, Hill fights out, they fight over a suplex and Hill hits a shoulderbreaker. Dempsey fights back and hits a neckbreaker. Suplex gets two for Dempsey. Dempsey working a hold as we go full screen, Hill fights out. Butterfly suplex by Dempsey, he works a triangle hold. Hill slams him out of it. Shoulderblocks by Hill, body slam takes Dempsey down. Hill runs into a boot, takes Dempsey back down, they go back & forth. Big strike by Hill. Hill reverses the suplex and gets the three count on Dempsey!
Winner: Shiloh Hill (8:45 via pinfall)
Match Rating: **1/2
I haven’t really been sold on Hill’s comedy gimmick yet during the brief time I’ve covered this show and watched his stuff, but he hung in there pretty well with Dempsey and looked good. There might be something there.
Hill has already donned his Mr. NXT attire & has his sign when Tristian Angels comes out and declares he needs to teach him a lesson for the rest of his life. There will be a Mr. NXT pageant in two weeks! He will humiliate Hill & Mr. Stone can set the proper affairs in place. Well this seems fun!
Izzi freaks out on Shawn and Shawn says she was right last week when she said he shouldn’t have booked the tag match. Vance says they’ll take care of it.
Next Week: Tony D’Angelo vs. Kam Hendrix! Lizzy Rain vs. Zaria! DarkState vs. Myles Borne & Tavion Heights!
NXT Women’s Championship Match: Lola Vice (c) vs. Izzi Dame (w/The Culling): Izzi takes charge early, hits a clothesline and stomps away. Lola with a sleeper, Izzi drives her into the corner, Lola with two kitchen sink knees, Izzi hits a rollup for two. Lola sends Izzi outside, hits a seated senton on the floor. Spears grabs the ankle, Izzi hits a backstabber on Lola, OTM comes down to attack Spears & Vance as we go to Non-Stop NXT!
Izzi takes the advantage, she sends Lola into the corner hard. Lola fires back, Izzi smacks her down, but Lola goes for the sleeper, Izzi hits a side slam out of it. Izzi puts Lola in the Boston Crab, Lola reaches the ropes. Lola with a quick rollup for two, hits some clotheslines as we go back full-screen. Hip attack in the corner by Lola, Izzi responds with a kick, hits a big boot for two. Izzi drives Lola into the ringpost, gets her back into the ring and places her up top, Lola with some elbows, then goes for an armbar. Lola with a triangle, Izzi works back into the Boston Crab. More of a Liontamer at this point, Lola fights out. Izzi ends up taking out the referee with a kick, Izzi & Lola kick each other down. Strikes are exchanged. Lola with some kicks & a backfist, but there’s no referee that can count three, they can only count two. Izzi gets the title belt, she kicks Lola down with it for a two count. What a shame. Izzi goes for a powerbomb, Lola with a guillotine choke! Izzi gets out, but runs into the backfist for the three count!
Winner: Lola Vice (10:56 via pinfall)
Match Rating: **3/4
Lola should keep on keeping on as champion, so that was the right call. I’m not really sure where they’re going with the Culling, things really don’t look good for Shawn Spears’ future there at this point.
DarkState ends the show by telling us they’re going for all the titles. We see Shaquon Shugars looking on from afar as our show comes to an end. So long for now!
If you’d like to chime in with your own thoughts on tonight’s show, feel free to join your fellow 411 Maniacs down in the comment section! As the legendary Larry Csonka always said: Have fun and don’t be a dick. When I’m not here you can catch me on social media from time to time. To be honest, e-mail is a better option and you can reach me at [email protected].
